OCTOBER 14, 2021 • THEATHLETIC.COM
KANSAS CITY ROYALS 86-76 · 2ND IN AL CENTRAL
86-76 · 2ND IN AL CENTRAL
Royals prospect Asa Lacy impresses in Arizona Fall League debut: 'Pretty freaking good' The Royals' top pick in the 2020 MLB Draft looked electric when facing other notable prospects. More important, Asa Lacy looked healthy.
Royals slugger Hunter Dozier talks openly about underwhelming 2021 season: 'It can get to a dark place' Dozier slugged just .394 while delivering some of the worst defensive metrics in the game. But he figured things out over the final month.
OCTOBER 11, 2021 • THEATHLETIC.COM
Kansas City Royals see improvement in 2021, reasons for optimism about 2022 Kansas City Royals catcher Sal Perez, second baseman Whit Merrifield and manager Mike Matheny discuss the takeaways from the 2021 season and...
OCTOBER 9, 2021 • KANSASCITY.COM
Instead of hitting baseballs, Salvador Perez will bang the drum Sunday at Chiefs game The Chiefs also shared special information about a potential traffic delay on Sunday.
OCTOBER 8, 2021 • KANSASCITY.COM
Lopez and Merrifield were an outstanding and unlikely combo for the Kansas City Royals One of the lasting memories of 2021 will be the double-play duo that wasn’t supposed to be.
OCTOBER 8, 2021 • KANSASCITY.COM
This Date in Baseball-Week Ahead
This Date in Baseball for Oct. 8-14OCTOBER 7, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Royals end-of-season mailbag, Part I: How to evaluate Jackson Kowar, Cal Eldred, Jorge Soler and more Answering Royals questions about the young starting pitching, coaching staff, player development and more.
OCTOBER 6, 2021 • THEATHLETIC.COM
SportsBeat KC: The Season of Salvy + a long last look at other Royals position players The Royals finished the season 74-88, but Salvador Perez was amazing in becoming the first Kansas City player to lead the AL in home runs an...
OCTOBER 5, 2021 • KANSASCITY.COM
Kansas City Royals star Sal Perez completed a historic offensive season Kansas City Royals All-Stars Salvador Perez and Whit Merrifield and manager Mike Matheny reflect on the record-setting season Perez enjoyed...
OCTOBER 4, 2021 • KANSASCITY.COM
Royals look to progress made by youngsters for optimism
The Kansas City Royals can look back upon their first full post-pandemic season in one of two very different waysOCTOBER 4, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. picks up two minor-league player of the year awards The Royals’ top prospect turned heads after his first full season as a professional.
OCTOBER 4, 2021 • KANSASCITY.COM
Carlos Santana - Three hits in season finale Santana went 3-for-4 with an RBI in Sunday's 7-3 loss to Minnesota.
Impact While the first baseman could be counted on for solid on-base abilities in the first half of the season, he slumped badly after the All-Star break. In the end, Santana posted a .214/.319/.342 slash line, leading to a career-low .660 OPS in 158 games. Outside of a resurgent 2019, Santana's been on a noticeable downward slide since 2016. He's still under contract for 2022, but top prospect Nick Pratto could force Kansas City's hand in spring training after batting .266 across 123 games between Double-A and Triple-A.
OCTOBER 4, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Adalberto Mondesi - Records 15th steal Mondesi went 0-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's 7-3 loss to Minnesota.
Impact The 26-year-old ended 2021 with 15 steals in 16 attempts in just 35 games. Mondesi battled oblique and hamstring issues for much of the season, prompting a move to third base for much of September. He was held without a hit in six of his last 10 games, dropping his season slash line to .230/.271/.452 with six home runs, 17 RBI, 19 runs scored, a triple and eight doubles across 136 plate appearances. Mondesi may continue to log time at third base in 2022. He could also receive regular rest to help alleviate some of the toll of playing the field, although fantasy managers will obviously take notice of his speed when he's in the lineup.
OCTOBER 4, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Jackson Kowar - Charged with loss in season finale Kowar (0-6) allowed five runs on five hits and a walk while striking out six in four innings to take the loss against the Twins on Sunday.
Impact Kowar gave up four runs in the top of the first inning before recording an out, but he settled down later in his outing and retired nine consecutive batters across the next three innings. However, he was forced to finish the season with his fourth loss in his last five appearances. The right-hander made nine appearances (eight starts) during his first major-league season and recorded an 11.27 ERA and 2.08 WHIP in 30.1 innings.
OCTOBER 4, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
'It's amazing to me': Salvador Perez finishes year on top of MLB home run, RBI lists Salvador Perez couldn’t move out of a tie with Jorge Soler for the single-season franchise home run record, but he became the first Kansas C...
OCTOBER 4, 2021 • KANSASCITY.COM
Buxton, Polanco HR, Twins top Royals; Perez tied for HR lead
Byron Buxton and Jorge Polanco hit homers and the Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 7-3 in their final game of the seasonOCTOBER 3, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kowar hit hard early, Perez doesn't homer as Kansas City Royals lose season finale Jackson Kowar gave up five in the first before pitching three more scoreless innings. Salvador Perez finished tied for Royals home run recor...
OCTOBER 3, 2021 • KANSASCITY.COM
Lopez finishes season at .300, makes history KANSAS CITY -- As soon as Nicky Lopez beat out an infield single in the third inning of the Royals’ 7-3 loss to the Twins on Sunday afternoo...
OCTOBER 3, 2021 • MLB.COM
Lopez has 'unbelievable' charity experience KANSAS CITY -- Nicky Lopez has had an excellent season on the field, settling in as the Royals’ everyday shortstop and No. 2 hitter, but jus...
OCTOBER 3, 2021 • MLB.COM
Kyle Isbel - Sitting again Sunday Isbel is on the bench for Sunday's game against the Twins.
Impact Isbel sits for a fourth consecutive game, but there's been no indication of an injury or other issue. Unless he pinch hits Sunday, he'll finish the season hitting .274 with a home run and seven RBI in 73 at-bats. Whit Merrifield starts in right field while Hanser Alberto plays second base.
OCTOBER 3, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Andrew Benintendi - Sits season finale Benintendi is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins.
Impact Benintendi's red-hot final month has continued and he'll likely finish the season hitting .276/.325/.443 in 537 plate appearances. Hunter Dozier is starting in left field Sunday.
OCTOBER 3, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Kris Bubic - Pitches well but takes loss Bubic (6-7) was charged with the loss against Minnesota on Saturday, pitching 6.2 innings and allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits and no walks while striking out five.
Impact Bubic gave up a single run in each of the first, fourth and fifth frames, with the fourth-inning tally largely caused by an infield error. The southpaw pitched into the seventh for the third straight outing but was outdueled by rookie Griffin Jax, who gave up only one hit in five scoreless frames. Bubic ends the campaign with a 4.43 ERA, but he finished on a high note, posting a 2.05 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 23:7 K:BB across his final five starts covering 30.2 innings.
OCTOBER 3, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Kowar scheduled to start as Kansas City hosts Minnesota
The Twins will start Charlie Barnes on Sunday and the Royals are expected to counter with Jackson KowarOCTOBER 3, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Even in a loss, Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Kris Bubic finishes strong Catcher Cam Gallagher helped coax the best out of pitcher Kris Bubic.
OCTOBER 3, 2021 • KANSASCITY.COM
Jax settles in, finds groove against Royals KANSAS CITY -- While rookie starters Bailey Ober and Joe Ryan had relatively smooth transitions to the big league level this season, that fi...
OCTOBER 3, 2021 • MLB.COM
